BDM22 wrote:Dude went from being arguably the worst FT shooter in the history of the game to a totally passable percentage in one year.
That was helpful.
He improved his defense.
From dreadful to passable, and that was largely because he tried harder.
He brought an impact on the offensive end by significantly upping his passing game (until Stan went away from it).
Until Griffin was brought in, you mean. With a ball-dominant passer operating on the low block, Andre's passing is unlikely to see much use.
He's the best rebounder the NBA has seen in 20 years.
Which is nice, but not game-winning, and less relatively valuable given that he cannot shoot and is not an elite defender.
Plus he plays every damn night.
That's debatable. He's always healthy, yes, but there are plenty of nights on which he simply doesn't feel like showing up. Last season's excellent performances against Boston and Utah were reminders of what he's truly capable of when he plays at maximum effort. They were also reminders that he very rarely plays at maximum effort.
Obviously he's got flaws, and stuff like low-post offense doesn't come naturally, so he's never going to be a dominant "go-to" scorer, but throwing him away for a dude that looked like he may never play basketball again a few months ago is crazy...
At no point did it appear that Hayward would never play basketball again. There were fears of long-term ligament damage, and those were dispelled within 24 hours when it became apparent that the dislocation was clean. It was an injury that could have happened to anyone.
They'd have to permanently stock 4 or 5 stretchers on the sidelines for a team with RJ, Hayward, Blake, Stanley Johnson, and Reggie Bullock. You gotta have a couple guys you can count on!
Johnson and Hayward are not injury-prone. Prior to last season, Hayward had logged 72 or more games in six of his seven campaigns. Stanley has played in 219 of a possible 246 games, and one of the games he missed was for suspension.
In any event, the Pistons would be complete fools to refuse a Hayward for Drummond offer. The Celtics would likewise be total fools to offer it. An elite wing is worth far more than Andre.
